


i found the photo of the friend that i was looking for

by BluebarrieMuzzins



Series: Around the League [24]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Age Difference, Established Relationship, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, Ice Cream, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Italics, Kid Fic, Kissing, M/M, Memories, Photographs, Unhappy Ending, Wedding Night, adding that just in case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:53:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28733754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluebarrieMuzzins/pseuds/BluebarrieMuzzins
Summary: Erik dropped his hands and raked one of them down his face. “Can I take you on a date to make it up to you?”Samuel felt his heart skip a beat. He had been crushing on Erik for a long time. If he had known that all it would’ve taken to get a date was to get coned with a frisbee, he would’ve done it ages ago.“Yes. Absolutely.”Erik’s bright blue eyes glistened in the late August sunlight as he ruffled Samuel’s hair and smiled.
Relationships: Samuel Girard/Erik Johnson
Series: Around the League [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666117
Kudos: 20





	i found the photo of the friend that i was looking for

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with another fic! Idk man. My province is going into complete lockdown again tomorrow and I guess that got me motivated enough to write again because it's keeping me distracted and keeping my mind away from thinking about that. Which is something I definitely need for the greater good of my well-being. So... if I pump out 30,000 fics in the next week or so and then disappear for 30,000 years, you know why. Not saying that that's going to happen. But like. It's the most likely scenario.
> 
> Anyway... about the fic. I don't even know what the hell inspired me to write this. It just sorta... happened. I hope you enjoy it and any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Once again, only beta'd with basic Grammarly, so any mistakes remaining are my own fault. Unlike before, the damn thing didn't glitch out this time. So like. Any mistakes are doubly my fault because it actually cooperated with me.
> 
> Anything in italics is Samuel having a flashback. Have fun with that one.
> 
> If you found this by Googling yourself, are in this yourself, or know someone in this, please click back. This is entirely fictional and I don't know where it came from. I hope at least one person enjoys it.
> 
> As for the name of EJ and Samuel's daughter: I plead the fifth on the grounds that I'll incriminate myself. (Says the Canadian, who doesn't even have an amendment like that in my constitution as far as I know dhdhdjdj)
> 
> Title from "Photograph" by Nickelback (roast me if you must jdjdjdjdj)

Samuel looked longingly at the photographs on the wall of one of the extra bedrooms in his house. They bore the likenesses of his husband, Erik, and his daughter, Gabrielle. They smiled back at him as he walked around the room. He looked at the photographs when he was in a bad mood. They helped him release all of his pent up emotions.

He walked over to the window and grabbed the first photograph he saw underneath it. He inhaled softly. This photograph was of Erik from the day he asked Samuel out for the first time. Memories flooded back to Samuel as he stared at Erik’s encompassing smile, something Erik rarely ever expressed.

_ “Mon chum! Watch out,” Erik called. _

_ Before Samuel could process what was going on, he felt something smack him in the back of the head. He rubbed his head gingerly before he turned around. He looked down and saw a frisbee laying at his hip. _

_ Erik came running up to Samuel with a look of horror on his face. _

_ “Sorry. Sorry.” Erik crouched down, reaching out and cupping Samuel’s face. He brought one of his hands up to the bump on the back of Samuel’s head. When he touched it, Samuel flinched. _

_ Erik dropped his hands and raked one of them down his face. “Can I take you on a date to make it up to you?” _

_ Samuel felt his heart skip a beat. He had been crushing on Erik for a long time. If he had known that all it would’ve taken to get a date was to get coned with a frisbee, he would’ve done it  _ ages _ ago. _

_ “Yes. Absolutely.” _

_ Erik’s bright blue eyes glistened in the late August sunlight as he ruffled Samuel’s hair and smiled. _

Samuel felt tears running down his face as he stuck the photograph back on the wall. 

As he was taking a deep breath, he noticed the photograph next to the one he had just stuck back to the wall. Any attempts to continue his deep breaths were thrown out the window in front of him because of what the photograph was depicting.

With a few tears rolling down his cheeks, Samuel grabbed the photograph and held it close to his chest.

_ Erik stood at the front of the church. He fiddled with his tie, checked his watch, looked at the minister and breathed heavily. The whole while, Samuel was watching from the end of the aisle. _

_ The organist started playing; every one rose. Erik turned his attention to Samuel, his groom to be. Samuel could see Erik’s heart swell in his eyes. He saw the tears streaking down Erik’s face. Once Samuel was standing beside Erik, the minister went on with the ceremony.  _

_ Throughout the exchange of their vows, Samuel noticed that Erik was subtly shaking. Since he knew Erik so well and could also see his facial expressions and hear the vows he was speaking, he knew the shaking was from nervous excitement. Something akin to the feeling one gets after their first NHL goal. Samuel could heavily relate to that because he was feeling much the same way as Erik, though Erik seemed too preoccupied with giving his disgustingly sweet and sappy vows (in a mix of English and butchered French) to notice. _

_ By the time it was time to kiss, Erik was so full of energy that he accidentally fumbled his hands and grabbed Samuel’s pec in front of everyone. When all the guests laughed, Erik turned as red as a tomato. Samuel smiled fondly as he leaned in, grabbed Erik by the lapels, and kissed his  _ husband _ for the first time. _

With a smile on his face, Samuel kissed the photograph before sticking it back onto its place on the wall.

Walking to the other side of the room, he stopped in front of a photograph of Gabrielle. The ponytails in her hair, the polka dot dress, the ice cream cone in her hand and the lollipop grin on her face made the memories of her vivid in his head.

_ Gabrielle pulled Samuel through the crowd at the fair. She had her mind set on one thing: the ice cream stand. When they got there, the line was massive. Gabrielle didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. She was willing to wait for her beloved vanilla scoop. _

_ Her ponytails swayed in the wind and she giggled when one of them smacked her in the face. It made Samuel’s heart swell. It was little things like this that made him enjoy being a father. _

_ "Next,” the man behind the stand called out. _

_ Gabrielle gleefully pulled her father up to the front. She bounced on the balls of her feet. She was excited to get her ice cream. _

_ The man ruffled the top of Gabrielle’s hair. She stuck her tongue out, which garnered a chuckle from Samuel and the ice cream man. _

_ “What can I get ya, little lady,” he asked. _

_ “Vanilla,” Gabrielle beamed. _

_ “One vanilla it is,” the man smiled. _

_ When she was handed the ice cream, Gabrielle ran towards the carousel. Samuel quickly paid the man before running after his daughter. _

_ When he caught up, Gabrielle had made a pit stop at a photo booth. So as not to spoil his daughter’s mood, he handed the photographer some money. He smiled before taking a handful of photographs. _

_ As Samuel was handed the photographs, he noticed that Gabrielle was covered in her ice cream. _

_ “What happened honey,” Samuel asked, wiping away the ice cream on his daughter’s dress. _

_ “Wind.” _

_ Gabrielle had a sour expression on her face when Samuel glanced up at her. He could see the beginnings of tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. He placed the photographs into his pocket before he scooped his daughter into his arms and onto his shoulders. Gabrielle giggled as she placed her hands onto Samuel’s head, drumming her fingers against his scalp a few times.  _

_ Samuel grinned as he ran them around the area, making airplane noises as he went. Gabrielle was giggling and smiling the entire as she held out her arms to simulate the wings of an airplane. _

_ “Daddy,” Gabrielle giggled, voice somewhat distorted by the rush of air hitting her face. “Keep going! This is so much fun! You’re the best!” _

Samuel sighed as he put the photograph back. 

Wandering around the room again, he stopped by the window a second time. With his eyes closed, he reached above the window. When he opened his eyes, he noticed that he had grabbed the photograph from his second-anniversary date with Erik. Looking into Erik’s hypnotizing blue eyes, Samuel started remembering his favourite memory he had shared with his husband.

_ Samuel felt butterflies in his stomach. He hadn’t been this nervous about a date in a very long time. He was so nervous that he had excused himself from the table to go to the restroom to splash water in his face. He was hovering over the sink, contemplating whether he should ruin his face mask by giving himself a face full of water when he heard the door swing open. _

_ “Mon chum?” _

_ Samuel looked into the mirror and saw Erik standing behind him. He had a concerned look on his face and was leaning against one of the toilet stalls. _

_ “You alright,” Erik asked, voice laced with concern. _

_ Without a second thought, Samuel surged toward Erik. Erik fumbled a little but quickly caught on when Samuel locked their lips together. Samuel kissed his husband with vigour and feeling. He wanted Erik to know that he loved him with every fibre of his being. _

_ When he pulled back, Erik traced his fingers over his lips. “That was-” _

_ “Yeah,” Samuel smiled.”Je t’aime beaucoup, Erik.” _

_ “We should get out of here,” Erik said, blushing. _

_ Samuel nodded. He reached over to brush a piece of hair out of Erik’s face. Without another word, they leaned forward and met for another kiss. This one was longer and more passionate. _

_ By the time they pulled back, the whole room was spinning from lack of oxygen. _

_ “I love you too, ya know,” Erik said, caressing one of his husband’s cheeks. _

_ Samuel beamed. Reaching over and caressing one of Erik’s cheeks in return. It was Erik’s turn to beam. He leaned in at that moment and kissed Samuel again, this kiss out of sweet, syrupy love. _

_ The door swinging open caused them to jump back from each other. The guy that had walked in glanced at them questioningly but didn’t say anything. They quickly scampered out, a smile plastered on their faces; another was imprinted on their hearts. _

Tears were falling down Samuel’s face as he placed the photograph back where it belonged. He looked at all the photographs on the wall and sighed wetly. He wiped his eyes to rid them of the tears but they kept falling.

There was one last spot Samuel wanted to stop before he exited the room. It was beside the door. He walked over, looking at the sonogram that was staring back at him. He touched it and then touched the framed photographs of Erik and Gabrielle sitting on the table in front of him.

“I can’t wait to meet you and start your photo collection, EJ.” 

Samuel bit his bottom lip and exhaled heavily through his nose as he looked at the memorial candles of Erik and Gabrielle placed beside their respective picture frames.

“I just wish I had more than pictures of your dad and sister.”


End file.
